Call for Papers ou Posters

Lexicography and lexicology have always been closely tied to how language is used, perceived, and conventionalised.

The 16ᵗʰ International Conference on Historical Lexicography and Lexicology (ICHLL 16) invites scholars to explore how, across time, these disciplines have described, explained, and theorised the patterns through which linguistic forms become established, conventional, and meaningful.

This theme focuses on the historical dynamics of usage, understood not as conformity to norms but as the process of conventionalisation through which words, meanings, and constructions gain stability, diffusion, and recognition within their communities.

Contributors are invited to examine:

• How lexicographers and lexicologists have documented and interpreted usage patterns across time, region, and register;
• How conventionalisation, productivity, and obsolescence are reflected in lexicographic sources and corpus evidence;
• The representation and circulation of emergent, non-standard, or contact varieties in historical lexicography;
• The interaction between lexical innovation, entrenchment, and social practice;
• Theoretical models linking usage-based linguistics, diachronic lexicology, and the history of lexicographic thought;
• The material and intellectual contexts shaping how language was codified, recorded, and theorised.

By emphasising usage, variation, and conventionalisation, ICHLL 16 seeks to highlight how lexicographical and lexicological practices both reflect and participate in the ongoing processes of lexical change, diffusion, and stability.

While this theme provides the conference’s main focus, papers on any topic in historical lexicography or lexicology are warmly welcomed.

Keynote speeches will be presented by leading scholars in historical linguistics, lexicography and lexicology as well as translation studies. 

Submission Guidelines

• Abstract length: max 300 words (excluding references)
• Languages: English or French
• Format: Word or PDF (anonymised for peer review)
• Submission deadline:30 January 2026
• Notification of acceptance:15 March 2026

Submit abstracts via the conference website